My Life with Shetlands

By Judith Anne Gratton

I have spent over fifty years caring for ponies, and the last twenty-five years were devoted to the Shetland breed. On the loss of the first foal I bred called Tara, I felt compelled to write about the memories of my life with Shetlands.

My passion for everything equine is to inspire future generations to care for breed and to love ponies.

I hope you enjoy reading about my Shetland experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Mar 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543488722

Judith Anne Gratton

Judith Anne Gratton lives in Adlington in Lancashire and has been living and working with Shetlands in excess of thirty years. Eldest daughter with two sisters being brought up on a farm and working with all kinds of animals.

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Copyright © 2018 by Judith Anne Gratton. 763577

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018902599

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 03/06/2018

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Dedicated to the memory of my first pony

PRINCE

My Life With Shetlands by Judith Anne Gratton

Where to begin with this experience?

Well I think from where my life with ponies and horses began when I got my first pony, Prince, a Welsh Mountain Palomino, from whom I had wished for from a very early age!

I was nine years old and I was given a big surprise one day when my mum told me to get changed quickly after school because she had something to show me at my Granddad’s farm in the fields behind our farm. So we all, mum, my two sisters and I, got excitedly into the car and drove across.

I was told to close my eyes and when I opened them I couldn’t quite believe it. I was giddy with excitement because all the way there I had been saying to myself I hope it’s a pony, repeatedly and to my amazement, my wishes had all come true, because there before my eyes was the most adorable pony, or was he?

Prince proved to be a most challenging experience of my short lifetime because it became apparent in the subsequent days ahead, that he had been tranquilised to sedate him into being a docile amenable child’s pony! During the following week he transformed into a wild pony that had just been captured from off the mountains, much to my dismay. We overcame this problem as he was sent to a local riding school to be taught manners and he proved over the coming years to be the most loyal pony that a young girl, passionate about anything equine, could have wished to own and to spend many happy hours in each other’s company. Our friendship grew and he certainly taught me a lot of experience which I would draw on during my future years with the Shetland pony breed.

Since that day to the present day, all fifty plus years, I have not had a day without an equine friend in my life.

After spending many a happy hour in the saddle I decided that I would like to try breeding ponies. Hence my research into the Shetland pony breed lead me to Wales from where my first pony derived from, but this time I made some sound enquiries as to a reputable breeder, who would give me advice and wisdom, to purchase my first good breeding stock, or so I thought!

We made the initial journey after making contact with a reputable breeder whom I had introduced myself to, after attending a Shetland breed Society Show in my local area.

I was impressed with their Stud and knowledge of the Shetland breed, but unfortunately they had failed to advise me that they had no suitable mare from which I could breed from, available for sale at that moment in time, but they knew a man who did!!

Therefore I was introduced to an acquaintance of theirs who was also a reputable breeder and Judge within the Shetland world from whom I would purchase my first Shetland mare, back in 1989.

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Needless to say that I was very excited about my new venture and I made all the arrangements for transport, as I had no horsebox or trailer of my own, I had to borrow a cattle trailer from my uncle, and off I went to pick up Rosie my first Shetland mare. The journey went well and I got her back home and settled her into her new surroundings. The deal was made and the papers seemed official together with the thought that I was lead to believe that I